The Cleveland Browns want to be contenders again in the AFC North and they’ll have to go through the Pittsburgh Steelers to do it. The Browns and Steelers split their meetings in last year’s rivalry game and with two more matchups this year, they’ll have to find a way to get past Pittsburgh to climb the standings.
While the Browns have plenty of issues with the season approaching, the Steelers appear to be doing them a favor. A questionable move early Wednesday morning has the NFL buzzing and it could be the start of some more disastrous moves that could help Cleveland leap the Pittsburgh next season.
George Pickens Trade Could Be Just the Beginning of Steelers’ Downfall
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded wide receiver George Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The move helps the Cowboys solve their No. 2 receiver spot across from CeeDee Lamb but it also could be the first move in what could be the Steelers’ downfall.
⚠️ TRADE ALERT ⚠️
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 7, 2025
We’ve agreed to terms to acquire WR George Pickens and a 2026 6th-round pick from the Steelers in exchange for a 2026 3rd-round pick and a 2027 5th-round pick.
📰: https://t.co/6bwTbmwTSW | @blockchain pic.twitter.com/ziHPiWW0pL
The Steelers posted a 10-7 record and made the playoffs last year but they never were considered true contenders. Justin Fields played well, completing 65.8% of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and an interception while leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start, but Pittsburgh insisted on starting Russell Wilson after he recovered from a calf injury.
Pittsburgh won six of its first seven starts with Wilson as the starter but cracks began to form when they lost their final four games. Cam Heyward appeared to call out a teammate for not doing their job defensively after a Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but later backtracked his statement saying he didn’t call out anyone in particular. The damage was done, however, and the Steelers were bounced in a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
That led to the offseason. The Steelers traded for DK Metcalf but don’t have a quarterback to throw him the ball. Fields left for the New York Jets and Wilson left for the New York Giants and hosting a visit with Aaron Rodgers didn’t result in a signed contract. The Steelers didn’t select a quarterback in the NFL Draft until taking Ohio State’s Will Howard in the sixth round and now they’ve traded away one of their top targets for a pair of mid-round draft picks.
But this could only be the beginning. Trading Pickens makes the Steelers far less attractive to someone like Aaron Rodgers as Calvin Austin III, Robert Woods, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek would be his targets alongside Metcalf. Also adding one of the most toxic personalities in football would be a test for Mike Tomlin’s culture, which is already falling apart at the seams after Heyward bluntly stated “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t.” (Heyward has also backtracked on this comment.)
If Rodgers says no or retires to a life of ayahuasca retreats, the Steelers will be in full-blown panic mode. Kirk Cousins is available via trade but the Falcons reportedly want teams to take on $20 million on his contract. Also with one playoff win entering his age-37 season, it’s hard to imagine Cousins elevating this group anything past a 7-to-10 win season – a range he has reached in nine of his 11 seasons as a full-time starter.
Tomlin has found a way to bring the Steelers to relevancy as he hasn’t posted a losing season in his 18 years as head coach. But this has become the worst roster he’s had since arriving to Pittsburgh in 2007 and there could be more bad decisions on the way.